bringing brands to life Anne Houghton The secret to in the events space Engineering The Know, Feel, Do Experience

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1 Engineering The Know, Feel, Do Experience Anne Houghton Freeman Creative Director Master of Moving People The secret to bringing brands to life in the events space

2 I ve learned that people will forget what you said, forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Of course, Maya Angelou wasn t speaking specifically to brand engagement when she said this, yet it s from this truth that the entire booming live engagement industry is based. But be warned. There are many in the event industry claiming they know how to bring brands to life in the event space. Ask them how exactly they propose to do it, though, and their explanations are laden with corporate-speak. Fact is, anyone can come up with an impressive sounding idea. But talk is cheap. In reality, few know the intricate process of developing a complete and actionable roadmap that will truly bring your brand strategy to life.

3 Got an engagement problem? We ve got a SOLUTION -IST Want to know how to bring your brand to life in the live engagement space? It s easier said than done. Or is it? Actually, with the right solution, it can be easier than you think. And where better to find that solution than with a Freeman Solutionist, like Anne Houghton. Being one part engineer and one part architect, Anne clearly understands how important customer engagement is to your event s success and, ultimately, to your Nobody understands this better than Anne. She and her team of Solutionists collaborate with customers - from corporate giants organization s success. It s no wonder Anne considers the Maya Angelou quote a tenet from which to draw her inspiration. Imagine you ve spent a substantial part of your marketing budget identifying your customer experience strategy. And you know you ll be bringing events into the mix. So, how will you connect your customer experience strategy to an actual brand experience such as a product launch, a stockholders meeting or, as in the case of Wyndham, a franchisee meeting? What magic needs to happen to make that live, emotional and cerebral connection with your audience? That s where an actions-speak-louderthan-words company like Freeman comes in. Through our work with associations, corporations and small businesses, we ve seen the need for events to do more. They can no longer be seen as simply a corporate event, an exhibit booth or a trade show. These live engagements are key opportunities to build strong relationships between a brand and its customers because of the memorable experiences they provide. like McDonalds to associations like American Heart Association - to create memorable live engagements through what she calls a Journey Mapping Process. This process creates the roadmap to deliver attendee-centric experiences before, during and after the actual event. Creating experiences is good for business, Anne explains, because while people only remember about 20% of what they see, they remember 80% of what they experience. DEFINE DESIGN DELIVER identify the vision express the vision realize the vision business goals brief idea generation focus user needs concepts clarity broad research convert verbal ideas execute specific research into visual ideas

4 Engineering the Know, Feel, Do Experience Putting ourselves in the audience s shoes and embarking upon their journey provides insights required to make the experience a meaningful one. That s what face-to-face marketing is all about. Experience-design, Anne continues, begins with an intimate understanding of customer needs and expectations as they relate to the event. Every element the audience experiences must ladder up to the event s overarching message. The groundwork of determining what the overarching messages are is necessary to truly turn the event into an experience. The outcome of this approach allows for consistent messaging throughout every element of the event experience, including pre and post marketing elements, environments, education sessions and gathering areas. A journey can actually be depicted in map form by detailing what the audience needs to learn or how they need to feel or what they need to do and at what point. This unique process is driven by a creative brief, which aligns business objectives with creative strategy that is then executed. The creative brief becomes the guiding document for all those involved in the event to keep on message; it informs the journey, the content mapping for message hierarchy and style guide for structural elements, graphics and audio visuals. As firm believers in providing 360 experiences that foster engagement, conversation and education, Anne goes on to say, we layer objects, form, color, patterns and textures with communication. These are basic compositional elements, but the articulation of space and light are specific characteristics in the design of an environment that tells a story. In the context of an event, objects and communications become closely interlocked with spatial elements, emphasizing their functionality and significance. Additionally, the framework of activities or engagement opportunities affects patterns of use, behavior and expectations. Recalling the goal of moving the audience to Know, Feel and Do, Anne s team of Solutionists strives to create a space that includes levels of excitement and ways to offer emotional reactions to the message or the brand. The floor plan for the event is a roadmap. It s how we guide the audience to experience the areas of focus. We want the audience to find things of interest to them, but we also want to make sure the message or big idea comes through loud and clear. The audience does not have to follow the path, but they will if it s a compelling one. Truth is, a lot of problems will arise when attempting to coordinate your next live engagement. Luckily, Freeman Solutionists will have just as many answers. As your partner, Anne will collaborate with you to create a clear roadmap to deliver memorable experiences before, during and after the actual event. If you re interested in learning more about how Freeman can help you make more meaningful connections during live engagements, visit or solutionist@freemanco.com.

5 AudienceInnovation.com face-to-face Of the many ways we communicate today, personal contact remains the most basic, emotionally powerful means of interaction. Therefore, at its core, the face-to-face event is not just about booths or staging or square footage. It s about more than the registration desk, cool mood lighting or even the ever-ubiquitous lanyard. It s about connecting people in meaningful ways. At Freeman, that fundamental belief drives everything we do, which is why we put the emphasis not just on engaging ideas, but on people experiencing people. INNOVATION DEDICATED TO YOUR BRAND